Jose Mourinho's red cards are usually seen as deflection, but Thursday night's probably did that for Erik ten Hag. A great game with lots of sub-plots. The best in Europe this season, if not the best ever.

That's Manchester United on the pitch, and Mourinho off it. Mourinho didn't get revenge on his old club, but United have also failed to win every Europa League game this season. This 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce was the third in three. There were positives, but also flaws. Mourinho was sent off for complaining about a penalty being dismissed. Ten Hag's predecessor had more scrutiny, but United can't seem to get any form going. This was a regression.

United played better in attack after struggling to score in recent games. They can't play well going forward without being weak at the back. Andre Onana and Manuel Ugarte kept this result solid.

Some was better, but not all. It's a fitting reflection of United's current situation. They haven't got so bad that the new football hierarchy sacked Ten Hag, but there's still no proper progress.

They also have to play better in the Europa League, as they are far from the teams that get automatic qualification. That puts them 21st in the table, between Viktoria Plzeň and Elfsborg.

Is this United's level now? He says, "We want to win," but there are problems. It makes things worse.

Tadic and En-Nesri's attacks and Onana's saves didn't seem as good as Mourinho's protest. Ugarte seemed to hit Osayi-Samuel on the edge of the box. There was contact, but it wasn't a foul. Mourinho was angry but it wasn't a big enough issue to warrant a trip to the stands. He was sent off.

While he was acting up, that seems harsh. Mourinho looked at the referee sarcastically. There was no climax. Mourinho didn't miss many chances in the stands. Still, it provided a bit of a show, which has been lacking for United and UEFA this season.